Del Boy's sparkling idea still a winner

GARY Davis reckons the pure spring water he's discovered on his land is lovely jubbly. So, good in fact, he's bottling it and selling it. And Only Fools and Horses fan Gary couldn't resist the idea of calling it Peckham Springs after one famous episode.

GARY Davis reckons the pure spring water he's discovered on his land is lovely jubbly.

So, good in fact, he's bottling it and selling it.

And Only Fools and Horses fan Gary couldn't resist the idea of calling it Peckham Springs after an episode in which Del Boy Trotter tried to make a fortune selling bottled London tap water.

But Gary nearly choked on a drop of his own pure spring water - from the hills of Rossendale - when he was told he had to drop the "h" from Peckham.

He was told marketing laws don't allow place names to be registered as trademarks. So now the water is Peckam Springs.

Gary, who bottles it at Waterside industrial estate in Haslingden, discovered the water on Deerplay Moor, Weir.He said: "Bottled water is big business but it is also very competitive, so we knew we would have to make the product stand out.

"Everyone has seen the episode of Only Fools and Horses, so it is a good way to get it noticed - loads of people have said they can't believe no one has called water Peckam Springs before."

The water went down a treat at a Birmingham trade fair last week, with buyers from all over the country expressing interest and placing orders.

Gary, whose firm employs three staff, said: "We are hoping that is a good omen.

"We have already got some wholesale orders and are hoping to get more soon."

Once the Peckam Springs brand is established, Gary plans to introduce flavoured water.